Endgame
by REDSTORMAR555
Summary: The KND have had relative peace, with less Adult and Teen attacks then normal. Unknown to them however, darker forces are dictating future events with the goal of a global, even galactic empire. The KND and unknown faction must ally with each other if they are to stop a tyrant from bringing about the destruction of the KND, and possibly the extinction of humanity.
1. Prologue

**I saw a few KND stories and thought I'd try my hands in one.**

**Don't own Codename: KND. Do own my OC's and a few other things.**

* * *

**Arizona, USA. Underground bunker.**

"Are they already building?"

"Yes. Within ten years, we'll have a fully armed military. One large enough to take the system."

"Take the system? Why so many?"

"To make sure those brats learn a lesson, the hard way. They'll be equipped with the latest military tech, be it firearms or starships, they're impressive."

"These kids have really pushed your buttons, have they?"

"They've been a nuisance since the formation of the Kids Next Door. Frankly, I've had enough of them. They don't listen to reason or even obvious facts. They're too busy fighting us so that they can stay up later, or even have more candy. Even some things we do for their benefit; the new energy sources we discovered. They destroyed it because they thought we wanted to to block out the sun and create storms so they would stay inside! I have little more tolerance as of late. If they must fall, then so be it."

"But must it be to such a degree? To systematically destroy them? Or enslave the rest of the population?"

"You still have much to learn. I'm not one to trifle with. These children have caused me and many others enough misery. They'll be made an example of, one for everyone to see. One that everyone will learn. Do **NOT**, try my patients. It will cost you. Now, are we in agreement?"

"We are."

"Yes."

"...Yes."

"Good. I will sent agents to inform you when the time comes."

As the three men left the bunker hidden underneath a mountain, the though about being watched barely registered in their minds, but in the air conditioning shaft, a child, no older then eight, watched as they made their way out of the office. He quickly tapped his wrist, and spoke into it.

"Alpha One, this is Savanna actual. I'm sending info about possible escalation of hostilities between factions K/T and T/A. Sending recording now."

"Info received. Good work Savanna actual. Bug out of there. We have transport heading your way, ETA three minutes. We're not waiting for you, so get a move on."

"Copy. Savanna actual out." He began to move, but without much of a warning, the shaft collapsed, and the Savanna fell to his face.

Red lights began flashing, and sirens blared.

"Crap." The boy said before bolting out if the door. In the hall, two guards turned to him.

"Halt!" One cried, aiming his rifle at the boy. Savanna threw himself into a corner as the bullets started flying. He peeked over the side, only to have one round graze his cheek, and he quickly jerked back.

"I'm not equipped for this situation." He said to himself while touching his cheek, red liquid slowly trickling down it. He hastily tore an empty metal cabinet from the wall before throwing of at the guards, who moved quickly out of the way. He quickly ran for the door while the guards were distracted, ad they only fired a few rounds before they ran after him.

He as breathing heavily now, his young body not use to the physical exertion. He was purely built for espionage and sabotage operations, not the one man army some were. He was surprised he was even able to lift the cabinet considering his age. Hell, he'd been surprised when he jumped that gap in the ventilation shaft. 'Ten feet.' He thought. "And I made it! Nearly gave me a heart attack but still.'

As he pushed past the front door, he was greeted by five rifles.

"Aw man." Savanna chocked out as he placed his hands on his head. He could vaguely distinguish the pine trees and the smell of wild flowers.

One guard took a step forward, his cap distinctively different from the other guards, evidently the leader. "On your knees. Now."

A roar could be heard, and Savanna covered his ears.

A horrendous screeching noise filled the air, forcing everyone to grab their ears and screen in pain. Savanna ran, his hands still covering his ears, before jumping, a twenty story drop waiting for him.

He only made it two when he landed inside of a troop transport, filled with four soldiers who stood with weapons ready in case anyone tried to get a shot off. They quickly sped away.

"Damn. Could you have cut it any closer?" Savanna said, now taking a seat and leaning as far back as he could. The pilot seemed to ignore him, or possibly he didn't hear.

"Alpha One, we've retrieved Savanna actual. Returning to base."

"Alpha One copies. Be advised, you've been reassigned landings. You will report to Moonbase. Savanna must be questioning."

"Read you loud and clear. On our way." Came the reply as the ship began to clime.

* * *

"You wanted to see me sir?" Savanna asked, saluting his officer.

"Yes." Alpha said, returning the salute. "As I said before, we received your information about this military build up. Ten years is a very short span. And from the sound of it, they mean business. We can't let them do this."

"What do you propose sir?" Savanna asked, his feet spread to be even with his shoulders, his hands folded behind his back.

"We make an entirely new organization, one completely separated from the KND and GKND. One that both organizations will have no knowledge of."

"Why the secrecy sir?"

"It would be better. Say years from now they are getting near, but our new force attacks. They won't go after the KND. They'll come after us. We'll have to be prepared. Our operatives will be kids, teens, and adults, as I highly doubt that the entirety of each faction want to go into open conflict. I'll begin assembling the sector."

"What are we to call it?"

"We'll discuss that later. Right now I need you to contact these operatives." Alpha said, passing him a folder. "Once you're finished, burn the documents. Meet me at the dated time and we'll discuss more. Now hop to it soldier."

"Yes sir." He saluted, and quickly made an exit.

"It will be better this way." Alpha said, throwing his documents in the fireplace next to him, making sure that no others would see the message.

"Now we prepare." Alpha replied to himself as he made a call to another KND member.

"Number 2395, you there? I need your help."

"Whatever you need Hayes. How can I be of assistance?" They boy asked.

**Date: March 21th, 1946**


	2. New Arrival

**I don't know when Nigel and Rachel's birthdays are, so I'm making it how I want, so they're close to the same age. And no, Nigel was not taken by the GKND.**

**Don't own Codename: KND. Do own my OC and a few other things.**

* * *

Rachel wasn't a happy camper at the moment. Not happy or even camping.

She was always stressed, regardless if it was a good day for her or not. She was Numbuh 362; Supreme Commander of the Kids Next Door. She was always stressed on multiple things. She always had paperwork, which she wouldn't mind if it was on something else besides more candy rations and adding new flavors of ice cream. That got annoying fast. Then there was the fact of trying to run an organization comprised of millions to billions of children, each having individual assignments, some of which were vital to the KND, and where kids could get hurt, and, believe it or not, there had been a few casualties, numbering 5, while on mission. Then there was complaining, but she had grown to ignore most of the idiotic bits of it.

Then to top it off with her 13th birthday coming in a month...

She gave a tired sigh as she stared out into space, watching as ships came to and fro from Moonbase, clutching her mug of hot chocolate. Regardless of how things were, she'd miss all of it.

As of late, the KND was at a moment of peace if anyone could believe it. Nothing remarkable had happened for two or three days; a new record. Many were at their Sector bases, doing whatever they did to pass the time.

"Sir." Fanny announced on the comm. line in her office. "Numbuh 1's here. He'd like to speak with you."

She pressed a button. "Let him in 86." She said, still staring out into space. She didn't have to wait long before he was in her office.

"Numbuh 36-" He began, saluting.

"Please Nigel. I think we've known each other long enough to speak on a first name bases." Rachel replied, now leaning on the glass.

"Sorry Rachel. Habit of mine." He dropped his hand.

"As well as many others." She sipped the chocolate drink. There was silence before Nigel walked up to the window, standing next to her, looking out at the great expanse.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"As well as I'll ever be I guess." She replied, resting her cheek on the window. "I don't like thinking about it. Now and days I just want to enjoy every little thing. I only have a month before I forget all of this." She spread her arms out and did a quick spin, empathizing everything.

"I know how you feel." Nigel was two months away from decommissioning.

Nigel and Rachel had become close after the I.T incident, and it was common for the two to refer to each other by their real names rather than their code numbers. They saw each other often for different reasons. Sometimes they'd see the other if they just wanted to talk, or when a personal matter came in the others lives, or when they just needed to vent emotion. Both however, kept the relationship strictly professional. They were close friends, but they couldn't see anything past that, and that was fine by them.

"How do you cope with it Nigel? Many operatives have payed me a visit, telling me that they appreciate the job I do and that they'll miss me. I've seen a few friends, but my birthday keeps getting in there."

"You just have to deal with it. That all we can do. Even when around my team, that subject always pops into my mind."

"I just wish we could stay children." Rachel said in a defeated tone.

Nigel placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't we all Rachel." He gave it a reassuring squeeze.

A voice interrupted their thoughts. "Sir, we've located a ship, not one of ours. It's got a distress beacon on."

"Distress beacon? Can you tell who it belongs to?" Rachel asked.

"Nothing from the KND, Teenz, or Adults. And it's not a drone. Someone is in there."

"Bring it in, but be careful. It could be a trap." Rachel motioned to Nigel. "Come on. We need to see this for ourselves."

"Right behind you."

When they reached the hanger, they found the ship already pulled in. The ship was black, and in a strange diamond shape, with forward swept wings attached to the back line segments. The ship had seen better days, as where the wings would be was torn completely off. Multiple dents and holes could be seen, with oil leaking from each one.

A stretcher came past them, holding the body of a boy, whose body was donned with black armor of some sort. His face was young, his hair brown and his skin lightly tanned. He had a nasty gash on his head, dried blood plastering some of his hair to his face.

"What can you tell me?" Rachel asked Fanny.

"Well, it's obvious the ship did have a living being on board. No idea who he is. He doesn't come up in anything, even the teens. Heck, not even info that he's alive. The ship itself is very advance, even more so then standard military tech. We're going to begin research on it. Besides that, I haven't much else." She said with a shrug. "They'll check him out and then we can question him."

"I'll do that." Rachel said.

"Yes sir." Fanny replied.

"Why would a kid ride a ship so sophisticated? How would he even know how to fly one of these things? How did he get his hands on it?" Nigel said, glancing at the interior of the cockpit, mostly a shattered screen in front of the pilot seat. There were barely any knobs or dials. "Numbuh 2 would love to fly something like this." He stated to himself.

"I have no idea, but we'll find out soon enough."

The twenty minutes it took to make sure the boy was even alive was quick, almost seeming like five minutes. At that, Rachel, Nigel, and Fanny made their way into the room.

The boy in question was on a bed, the armor on his upper body having been removed. The only sign of any injury was the bandage that now covered the broken skin on his head, near his temple. His breathing was slow, and he seemed rather peaceful.

"Anything new?"

"Only that we have determined that he is 14 years of age. Besides that, nothing new." The doctor said.

"14? So he's working for the Teens? Maybe the Adults?" Nigel said aloud.

"I'm not sure. The only way we find out is to speak with him." Fanny said, eyeing the boy with mistrust. The only reason he'd be flouting out there was so he could get here. Now she just needed to know what he was after.

Rachel was more preoccupied studying his features. He had a rather small forehead, his brown, shaggy hair looking like he never combed it in his life. His chin was normal sized, if there was such thing as a 'normal' size, with a 'normal' noes. One feature that she caught though was the scar on his right eye, traveling straight down his face. It began at the center of his forehead, and ended at the middle of his right cheek. She could see other scars on his upper body, some small, some large.

Then his brown eyes opened.

She gasped at the color. Sure, brown eyes were not a new thing, but something radiated from this boy, something only his eyes could say. They looked confident, steadfast, determined, and ready to...

She found an arm wrapped around her neck a second later.

The other operatives in the room, including the doctors, pulled weapons, aiming straight at the teen holding their commander. At that point, the teen pulled his weapon and placed the barrel on Rachel's head.

She tried guessing what weapon it was. She'd never felt a weapon like this in all her life. It wasn't even close to anything the KND, allies or enemies had. But one of the doctors recognized the weapon, and the words he said made Rachel's heart beat faster and her breath hitch.

"Is that a nine mill?!"

* * *

The boy didn't know where he was.

One minute he was in his ship, trying to outrun other fighters. Then it turned black, he couldn't remember anything after that. He could hear speaking, could feel his body be lifted then placed on something. He could feel what he thought was a bandage on his head, heard more voices. Now, he was finally able to open his eyes, and had other brown eyes staring back at him.

He didn't waist time when he saw them. His arm had reached out to the individual, grabbing the sweatshirt before wrapping his arm around them. His blurred vision picked up more people in the room, pulling weapons on him. He had his weapon on his hostage's head.

He was in a tight spot. All that changed when he hard a voice call out.

"Is that a nine mill?!"

'Wait.' He thought. 'That doesn't sound like a teen or adult."

He shook his head, trying to clear his blurred eye sight and the pulsing of his head, though it made the latter worst, and when he could start seeing who in fact he was holding and in front of him.

Children.

"Oh damn it." He said aloud. He could see the kids begin to drop their weapons, nearly breaking them with the amount of force they threw them down with. The girl in his hands hadn't tried to move, now just moving with his body. The only physical attribute he could make out was her blond hair. She wore an aqua-colored jumpsuit, an orange sweatshirt with purple stripes, and gray and brown sandals. She had a colander that she had used as a helmet on the floor, with a two blue sabers on it and an orange plate in the center with "362".

'So this is the Kids Next Door. Moonbase if I remember correctly.'

He whispered into the blond girl's ear. "I'm going to let you go. I don't want them going for their weapons. Understand?"

The girl shook her head slowly, and to his slight surprise, her breathing was even, though he could feel her quickly beating heart on his chest.

He simply let her go and pushed her gently forward, now with her evenly between the boy and KND.

The others immediately dived for their weapons.

"No!" The blond screamed, and everyone paused, weapons already in hand.

"Um, sorry about that." The boy said, holstering his weapon. "That was a...reaction of mine. I'm sorry if I scared any of you." He glanced at the children, the bald one holding what looked like some condiment attached to a stick, and he had to remind himself that this was KND.

"Drop your weapons." The girl said.

Nigel stared at her. "What? But Rachel-"

"I said, drop your weapons." She stated again, with more force this time.

They threw their weapons to the floor once again.

"Now, if we could all be civil." She turned to the boy. "What was that? As soon as you open your eyes you attack people?" Rachel asked the boy, her attitude rather calm and collective for someone who had a gun to their head a few seconds ago.

"I already said that I'm sorry. It's not like I can control an impulse when I blacked out while on sortie." The boy replied with some irritation.

"What exactly was your mission?" Rachel asked, getting to questioning him.

"Classified."

"Where did you acquire the ship?"

"No data available."

"Who do you work for?"

"This One cannot hand important information to young one."

Rachel gave an annoyed sigh. This boy wasn't going to answer any of her questions was he?

"Can I at least have your name?"

The boy glanced at them for a second before answering.

"Name's Andrew Ruiz." He scratched absentmindedly at his bandage.

"You can't tell me who you work for?"

"That is correct."

"We're you at any point a Kids Next Door member?"

Andrew paused, debating weather it was smart to say anything or not, but he decided it would be easier if he answered truly.

"I was at a point."

"And you still remember everything?"

"Yes. I was never decommissioned. And no, I did not resist, I was deemed too valuable an asset to lose."

"What was your number?"

"Numbuh 2395."

A collective gasp could be heard from almost everyone in the room.

"You find that surprising?" He said with raised eyebrows.

"Numbuh 2395, born March 21, 1936, Las Angles, California. Youngest Supreme Commander in the KND to this date. Was presumed dead during the Northern Blitz." Nigel said, referring to the Korean War. The KND had operatives in both North and South Korea, and when the South was invaded, both sides tried to hold back the advancing North Korean army to allow civilians to escape. Unfortunately, both sectors, as well as any operatives assisting, were decimated at the end of the defense, no survivors. Had the South Korean army not blown the bridge that crossed the Han River, they may have survived. Numbuh 2395 had traveled there, against the wishes of a many high officers and operatives, because of his record of accomplishing the impossible, and it was deemed impossible for them to save even a hundred lives. He proved them wrong, saving tens of thousands of civilians, as well as a rather large portion of the South Korean army on that front. It was one of the bloodiest battles fought by the KND to this date, where over ten thousand operatives lost their lives. It was a day of many tears for the KND.

As for Numbuh 2395, he was among the projected dead. What with his mission record, and sheer will and determination, his legacy was one to remember. On top of the world until Numbuh Zero, and possibly Numbuh 1, though the battle of '1 vs. 2395' is still debated among many KND operatives, including normal operatives, doctors, instructors, historians, and officers.

"Oh. Right." He said, scratching his head. He forgot about that incident. He cruse himself for even giving his number. Now they had even more reason to mistrust him. Hell, they probably thought he was crazy.

'And I'm not even suppose to discuss things like this.'

"I don't see it as far fetched as you think I would." Rachel said, causing Andrew eyebrow to rise. "We found one kid who we called Numbuh nineteenth century. He was incased in ice cream and was preserved until we found him, along with five thousand others. So I can believe that." She stepped forward, stood in front of Andrew, and put her hand out take a him.

"I'm going to give you the befit of the doubt. So can I trust you?" She said sternly.

"You're taking a hell of a risk." Andrew said.

"Benefit of the doubt. I repeat, benefit of the doubt. That's all I can do for you. I'll believe your story because that's all I can do. You will, though, provide just small pieces of info that are not vital to the organization you work for. If your group comes after you, you are to explain to them that you are to remain here for a period of two months. I can only hope that you won't turn in us. So, can I trust you?" She repeated, her brown eyes meeting his.

He reached out to her hand and gave it a firm shake while smirking at her.

"Alright princess."

Rachel's eye twitched at the name. "Did you just call me-"

"Princess? Yes, I did. And I'm sorry to say that I'm not dropping the name anytime soon." He said mater-a-factly.

"I'd rather call me 362." She replied with the same attitude.

"I'd rather call you princess."

"Three. Sixty. Two. You can call me that."

"Princess. I can call you that." He repeated. Rachel's eye twitched even more, and her voice was a little more hostile then it was to begin with.

"Three." She made the number with her fingers. "Six. Two. Three sixty two, thirty six two, three hundred sixty two, it doesn't matter, but stop calling me princess."

"No. I won't stop."

"Yes you will."

"Nope."

"Yes."

"Zilch."

"You will stop."

"Nada."

"Yes! How many times do I have to repeat it?!" She nearly screamed.

"Now look who's repeating themselves. I'm not dropping the name. I repeat, I'm not dropping the name."

Rachel sighed. "Can you stop calling me that?"

"No."

"Can you please stop calling me princess?" She asked politely. Maybe he'd listen.

Andrew was slightly taken back by the change of attitude, as his eyebrow raised a fraction. His face showed he was clearly thinking about it.

"No thank you."

Rachel rubbed her eyes. "Nigel?"

"Yeah?" He said timidly.

"If you may?"

Nigel already knew where this was going, and did as he was told. Andrew watched curiously.

"What are you-"

Splat!

Actually, Nigel didn't expect that.

"Ahh!" Andrew cried as he was hit by a yellow substance. He glanced at himself, sniffed the stuff that was on his fingers, and took a lick.

"Mustard? You shot me with mustard? How immature are you?!"

"I'm still a child. I'm only mature when I need to be, and at this point, you're really getting on my nerves by being in idiot. If you're not going to treat me right, I'm not going to treat you right." She stated calmly.

"It's not going down like that princess!" He said as he swiped the gun Rachel had used and turned it on the user.

Splat!

"Ahh!" She only glanced at herself for a second before glaring at Andrew.

"Oh heck no!" Rachel screamed as she tackled Andrew to the ground. The both rolled around the room, too busy trying to beat the other to a pulp to notice the multiple pair of eyes watching them.

Many of then had been astonished that she'd trust him, even when his story could not check out. Then the fact that he was teasing her, and had even shot at him, even though he had a weapon that was made to kill, and yet here they were, rolling on the floor, covering the ground with mustard. Nigel was the first to comment between the yelling and death threats.

"They argue like a married couple."

"WHAT!" Both Andrew and Rachel stopped mid roll, their eyes throwing daggers at Number One.

He soon found himself navigating throughout the Moonbase, trying to outrun the two as mustard and ketchup caked everyone unfortunate enough to get in the way, all the while Rachel and Andrew continued shouting death threats, to each other and to Nigel.

* * *

**I will explain why the KND was involved in military conflicts in later chapters. As for Rachel and Andrew attacking each other like that, they're still technically kids, and we all have that tendency to beat someone to a pulp as a child if they keep calling us something we don't want them to. Remember, this is still Kids Next Door. **


	3. Information

**Don't own KND. Own my OC's and a few other items.**

* * *

"Was the mustard really necessary?"

"Like I said before, you were being an idiot."

"Hey, if you can't handle nicknames-"

"Don't start this again Andrew. I'm not in the mood."

Andrew threw his hands up as a sign of surrender. "Alright, alright."

It was a day after Andrew had come in the base. He was in Rachel's office, staring out the window as Rachel worked on multiple reports. Both had cooled down after that little fight yesterday.

If you could call that fight little.

Thanks to the comment Numbuh 1 had made, half the Moonbase was in need of a through cleaning, with Nigel having to take eight showers to clean himself after they had nearly drowned him in condiments, then threw him in the trash shoot, the same day they had meat ball subs. He seriously regretted his comment.

Rachel was again stressed, though besides the normal things on her agenda, the day before she had to convince Fanny not to decommission Andrew outright. After she and Andrew nearly killed Numbuh 1, Fanny had come in with a DOH-DOH and nearly, in Andrew's words, 'Stomped him out.' He was technically a teen at 14 and was never decommissioned in the first place, but they still needed more info. It had taken Rachel all of her persuasive power to convince 86 to ease off, if not for her, then for the info that Andrew had. Now all Andrew was doing was staring out into space while Rachel went about with her paperwork.

"So how much paperwork do you have?" Andrew asked absentmindedly, spinning his knife on the tip of his armored finger.

"A lot. You should know that. You were in Kids Next Door once." She replied without taking her eyes of her work. He quickly sheath his knife, and turned to face her.

"Pass me a column."

Rachel paused. "What?"

"Pass me a column of the paperwork. I'll help you." He repeated.

"Why would you want to do paperwork? It's one of the most stressful thing for people, including me. I don't see how you'd get a kick from doing it." She said.

"Well, I'm just standing here watching you. I've got nothing better to do, so just hand me a stack." He said as he collected one stack and placed it on the corner of the table, farthest away from her. He grabbed a pen and began working on the first page.

"Do you even know what you're doing?"

"I was Supreme Commander of the Kids Next Door before my 'death' remember? I use to do a lot of these too, though I never received anything like you do. What?" He said while giving a strange look at his paper. "Are these kids serious?" He waved it.

"Unfortunately yes." Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Kids these days." Andrew said, crossing everything on the paper out. "In my day, you were lucky to get ice cream once a month. Ungrateful little bastards."

"I'd rather you not use that language around me or any of my operatives." Rachel gave him a stern look.

"Sorry princess." He replied, skimming though four pages before drawing a huge X on all of them.

"You're straight forward." She could see his finished stack already starting to reach a quarter of the hight it originally was.

"If they give you crap, don't take your time on it. You have more important things to worry about then debate ice cream and candy. I can understand your stress though." Andrew said, his finished stack getting larger and larger.

Rachel glanced at his stack, then at hers, not even a quarter of the way finished, before glancing down at the paper in front of her, another ice cream form. She blinked, then drew a large X on the paper.

"There we go princess." Andrew said, grabbing four more pages.

It was silent for a good while, each marking the majority of the papers with X, while very few actually needed their attention.

"How was it?"

Andrew didn't glance at her. "What?"

"What was it like for you being a Supreme Commander?" She asked.

He didn't hesitate. "It was stressful, though more so then it is now."

"How so?"

"You know World War Two right?" Rachel shook her head. "You also know the Cold War?" She shook again. "Well, I was born before the Second World War, 1936. I lived through a very volatile time period. Not only did nations chose sides, the Kids Next Door also chose sides. I guess you could call it...a civil war."

"What?"

"You heard me, a civil war. Different sectors and operatives chose to side with the axis and allies. That alone was bad, but back in the day, when you took an extreme, you went ALL the way. The KND began using military grade weapons while making our own military grade vehicles. Each side fought for control of different nations. No other battle in itself was as bloody and the Northern Blitz, but that six year war was bloody to begin with anyway, 326 thousand KND life's if I remember. Then after, the Cold War began and they continued to picked sides. At that point, the KND didn't clash with each other, but they would get involved in other conflicts. The Korean War was one of many conflicts that the splintered KND fought in. I read that it stopped momentarily sometime in the mid 50's because of that crap Grandfather put the KND through until 1964. Then it started up again. Hatred lives even in oppression. The KND was divided for years until the fall of the Soviet Union. After the end of the Cold War, the KND was reunited, but relations would remain stressed for a few years before it became what it is now. Since the Cold War was over, they didn't see the need to keep legitimate weapons anymore. Then everything was as it was now, at least that's what my historical information says." He stated.

"Is this data what your organization has on us? Because if so, I'm surprised no one else has heard about this." Rachel scratched her head. She hadn't heard of the KND breaking in two before or participating in wars. Why was this just now getting to her, and from Andrew, Numbuh 2395, who should be dead or at the very least an adult?

"This data is a very well kept secret. Your command didn't want it out in the open. How would you feel if you were 10 years old, wanting to join the KND, only to read a history lesson that says we fought in WWll? With weapons that fire bullets? Weapons that could destroy cities? Would you want to stay in the KND?" He grabbed Rachel's mug and drank half the contents in it.

Said girl snatched it back from him before replying. "You have a point there."

"Exactly. When WWll ended, they needed a Supreme Commander to try and straighten things up, and not many were willing to take it. When I turned 10, they gave the position to me, and they didn't give me a choice. I didn't complain. I sucked it up and went about trying to help stabilize the KND the best I could." He waved his hand.

"Hold on a minute, you said they gave it to you when you turned 10? That's when you barely became a member." She rubbed her chin. Why so young?

"Yeah, I know. But they didn't have a lot of options. They gave it to me because I was one of the best. I had done operations for the KND during the war, before I even became a member." He shook his head.

"What?!"

"Yeah. There was one mission where...where..."

...

...

"Andrew?" Rachel said, now lifting herself of her seat. She walked over to him, first waving her hand in front of his eyes. That didn't work. She tried shaking too, but that did nothing either.

"Andrew?" She looked at his eyes, and was surprised that they were now a grey color, his pupils dilated, his face seeming neutral besides his slightly parted lips.

"Andrew? Hello? Andrew?" She asked, now a slight edge to her voice. What was going on? She quickly grabbed his cup of water and threw its contents at him.

He threw himself back, out of the chair and onto the ground.

"DAN! JACK!" Andrew shouted, his head snapping in every direction.

"Dan? Dan? Jack?" He was looking frantically around the office, his eyes wide, pulps still gray.

"Andrew?" He snapped his head, staring at her, though she felt he was staring through her, and she involuntarily stepped back.

"Rachel?... Rachel, not Dan or Jack. Rachel." He said, his voice getting lower. He shook his head, and his eye color slowly returned to brown.

"S-sorry about that. A rather...painful memory reared its ugly head." He said as he picked himself up. "I'd rather not talk about it." He picked the chair up, sat in it, and began working again.

"Are you sure you're alright?" She added with a hint of concern.

"I'm fine. Sit back down and keep doing this work princess. We'll get this done quickly if we're both doing this." He said, focussing his attention on Rachel's work.

She did as she was told, but was casting him a worried look. She wouldn't question him in the memory, as it seemed to be a rather bad one.

"Either way," He restarted. "I became Supreme Commander, and at that point of time, I had just as much paperwork as you did, only they were important. I understand that this is stressful, but think how much more it would be if you were trying to guide a divided organization, constantly worrying about some war breaking out or someone trying to carve out your heart while you slept."

"Carve your heart out?!"

"Assassinations. Had four or five assassins come after me. Didn't end well for all of them, though one nearly got me. Was in the medical ward for a six months. Broke both my arms and shattered my legs, nearly crushed my damn head, and had both lungs punctured, along with some kind of injury on all parts of my person." He smirked. "I ended up spacing the kid."

"That's, uh... You know what, never mind." She said.

"Well, in other words, it was complicated during the time I was Commander. It might not be the same circumstances you have, but you should generally have a 'Take No Crap' attitude when it comes to these things. Only deal with the important things, and tell the rest to go to hell. It will take you far in this line of work. Though you've done just fine." He pointed at her.

"I don't think I have."

He stopped again, now glancing at her with a raised eye brow. "What?"

"I'm not sure I was ever cut out to be Supreme Commander of the KND." Rachel said, a sad smile on her face.

"Why do you think that?" He placed the pen down, giving her all his undivided attention.

"With everything that's happened to the KND since I've had this position. Sure, I know that it's necessary, but many times, I've doubted myself. I mean, I literally gave the position I'm in to Father, you know who he his right?" Andrew gave a nod. "The same man nearly turned every KND operative into an animal, we were very much finished when Grandfather took over the world, and there have been so many other things that it would take days to tell you all of it. I don't know anyone else besides you taking it harder then I have. Most days I question why I sit in this office when so many others can do this better then I can." She rubbed her head and closed her eyes, sighing.

"Simple. You're you."

She raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"You're right. There are people out there who can work this position better then you. Hell, I knew many who could have done my job better then me. But the fact remains that you are the one in this office, not them. You're in this office because they don't have the initiative. They wouldn't know what to do when they get the position. You could compare them to a crew and their captain. They need you, the captain, to guide them though to open waters and take charge when you are attacked by pirates. You had what it takes to be that captain. Anyone else, even people who could do better then me and you, would freeze at all the pressure now on them, and many can't take the heat. A single deckhand can't get the rest of the crew to follow. You're here because you had that initiative, that drive to better the KND that few others poses. Without you, this ship falls to the pirates and capsizes in stormy waters. You accepted that responsibility knowing fully well what was required of you. You didn't hesitate, you didn't question, you simply took the lead and went right to work doing what you could and more. That's the attribute that makes great leaders."

"I've got a quote, one that rather fits well. 'Rely on your own strength of body and soul. Take for your star self-reliance, faith, honesty and industry. Don't take too much advice-keep at the helm and steer your own ship, and remember that the great art of commanding is to take a fair share of the work. Fire above the mark you intend to hit. Energy, invincible determination with the right motive, are the levers that move the world.' Noah Porter." He gave her a small smile, both with his eyes and his lips.

"You have the helm Rachel. All you have to do is pull those levers."

She stared at the boy in front of her in wonder, her eyes focusing his now soft, very dimly lit gold eyes. Why did his eyes change color so frequently?

What he just said to her...

At first, she thought Numbuh 1 and very few others were the only ones who thought she was doing well with her work. But here was one young man, one she'd only known for a day, stating that even though there were people better then her, better then even he was, she was the one to have the drive others lacked. That she was here because she was the only one who could do this. The only Captain who could lead her crew into the unknown.

Her face broke out in a smile, and she nodded her head gratefully. "Thank you Andrew." He simply nodded back, but his own smile grew. He glanced back at his papers and began marking more Xs, the smile still plastered on his face.

Rachel's 2x4 communicator rang and she quickly answered it.

"Numbuh 362 here... What?!... Have they... Ok, ok, we'll be down shortly." She put the communicator away, stood, and began walking to the observation deck, grabbing Andrew's shoulder, dragging him off his chair and nearly tumbling over.

"Hey! What's going on?" He asked as she kept dragging him.

"I think your friends came to get you." She replied.

"Really? I'm surprised they made it here so late." He said with some humor.

"Remember what I said yesterday." She reminded.

"Yes princess."

"Enough of that nickname! Please!"

"I'll say it again-"

"No! You won't!"

"I. Am. Not. Dropping. The. Name."

"Damn it Andrew."

"That's the first time I heard you use damn it. Seems I'm rubbing off on you." He said.

"No your not!"

"Yes I am! You were adopting my 'Take No Crap' tactic for paperwork! That's something!"

"Screw you!" She said with a red face. Andrew grinned in victory.

"Wow. They really want me back." Andrew said, staring out of the window at the observation deck. Around the Moonbase, sixty ships were flouting about, their fronts pointing at the base itself. The ships design was mostly utilitarian, and unlike anything the KND had seen before.

"_Harrison_-Class frigate, 462 meters in length. Fifty Bowman missile pods, one hundred point defense lasers, one Mass Accelerator. Yield is 55 kilotons of explosive energy, twenty rounds per minute." Andrew said, pointing at a ship that had two prongs prodding out of its blocky main body, three blue engine pulsing gently.

"_Harper_-Class destroyer, 674 meters in length. Sixty Bowman missile pods, one hundred fifty point defense lasers, and two mass accelerators; one normal, one heavy." He pointed to the slim triangular ship with swept forward wings that reached half the ships length.

"_Las Angles_-Class cruiser, 1,170 meters in length. Eighty Bowman missile pods, two hundred ninety five point defense lasers, two mass accelerators, both heavy." He pointed at the ship who's rear resembled that of a honey comb, while the front half resembled the head of a shark.

"_Blitz_-Class carrier, 2395 meters in length. Ironic huh? Fifty Bowman missile pods, two hundred point defense lasers, and one mass accelerator. Three hundred fighters." He pointed at one that was shaped in the form of a strange alien weapon, possibly a rifle with three barrels in a triangle formation, which possibly vents fighters in the side of two of them, halfway down the length.

"And of course, the beast of the fleet; the _Ruiz_-Class battleship, 6.5 km in length. 1350 Bowman missile pods, 1175 point defense lasers, 4 mass accelerators; 2 normal and 2 heavy, including a 'Shatter' Accelerator." He pointed to the largest ship in space, the upper half shaped much like a hexagon pipe, it's lower portion resembling a rectangle, with its front completely flat, save for five openings for their forward mounded weapons.

All KND operatives on the base were speechless at the ship right outside. They had called half of the KND to get to the base when the fleet had arrived, though they didn't know what they would do. They only had small ships for the individual sectors, not the ships that these people were packing. The only thing remotely close to their size was the KND Gihugeacarrier, and those were tiny compared to these things, not to mention that these ships used weapons that could destroy lives.

"D-do I even want to know what a Shatter accelerator is?" Rachel asked, eyeballing the fleet, and occasionally glancing and Andrew.

"Think of a weapon that, oh I don't know, yields four times the power of the Tzar bomb, 288 megatons of force. That could tear the Ruiz-Class ship apart, and another, and another, and possibly another."

Rachel's knees buckled, and Andrew moved to catch her, as if it was second nature.

"Um, you alright?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You're pushing what I can believe Andrew." She said weakly. He laughed.

"Benefit of the doubt princess." She still had the decency to glare at him.

"They want to speak to us." One operative said.

"Then lets hear it." Andrew replied. The operative hesitated for a moment, but Rachel nodded, and the boy hit a button.

"This is Admiral Alto Hayes. I am here after receiving a distress beacon from a missing operative. I understand that you have him, and I'd like him back."

"Hayes? Is that you?" Andrew asked as he placed a finger in his wrist. A projection popped out of the armor wist and showed a man of age 15, wearing white navy admiral clothing, his left breast adorned with multiple ribbons and medals. His skin was white, with his eyes a bright gold and white hair.

"Andrew? Huh, they never told me I was picking you up. It's been too long." He said with a small smile.

"When did they wake you?"

"Just a few hours after you apparently." He replied.

"Just you, or everyone else?"

"Just me Andrew."

"Excuse me?" Rachel interrupted.

"Oh! Right. Listen Hayes, these kids want me to stay here for two months. I was wandering about in their airspace and they want info on the HFE."

"Are you sure that's safe?"

"I don't see why not. We're not giving them everything we know. Just basic information, something all HFE operatives know." Andrew said, glancing around the observation deck. He scratched his nose.

Alto seemed to get the memo. "Alright Andrew. I'm not going to argue. I'll inform command of the development. They'll have no choice but to leave you be. We'll be seeing you. If you need anything, just give us a call."

All ships began moving forward again, now flouting past the Moonbase and into empty space before a blackhole opened in front of them, sucking the ship into it before closing.

"What was that?!"

"What the crud?!"

"It was a freakin blackhole!"

"It was something! Really, really freaky!"

"It was a wormhole." Andrew said, receiving stares in response. "You know, a connection between widely separated regions of space-time." He waved his hand absently, acting as if it was common knowledge.

"How much Halo crap you going to pull on us man?!" One operative shouted, receiving a laugh from a few, including Andrew.

"Well, I'm glad that you decided to keep your promise. With all that firepower out there, you could have chosen not to stay and you most likely would have left without any trouble." Rachel said.

"I can't resist staying here for a little longer to keep annoying you, princess." Andrew smirked at her.

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

"Well, you are the Supreme Commander, and you are a young women, so you technically have the statues of royalty. I know when I was commander, people would call me lord, prince, or my favorite, Emperor." He lifted his hand to his head. "Would be nice if we had a crown for me."

"That'd just inflate your ego to where I could use it as a hot air ballon." Rachel said with a smirk of her own, Andrew's own falling slightly. "Now would you please explain what HFE stands for?"

"HFE stands for Humanity's First Echelon."

* * *

**Might have noticed that it is slightly related to Halo, which it kind of is. But this is an entirely different organization that was created for a reason; to protect, as its name says, humanity.**


	4. Humanity's First Echelon

**Don't own Codename: Kids Next Door. Do own OCs and a few other things.**

* * *

"Humanity's First Echelon. Can you tell me what you do?" Rachel asked, now back in her office with Andrew and Fanny.

"The only information I can give you is that we do something similar to what you do, only on a broodier scale."

"A much broodier scale." Fanny commented, crossing her arms. "Guess it was a smart thing that I didn't decommission you."

"And this tech you have, you could take a planet with it if you wanted to. I take it's classified how you made it?"

"Correct princess." Both girls rolled their eyes , though Fanny glared afterwards.

"So what info can you give us?"

"I can give you basic info. Hell, I'll send it to your Moonbase computers, or all sector bases if you want." He said while tapping his armored wrist.

"If you could, that would be great." Rachel said.

"Alright, and it's...sent. They have the info. I advice that you let them know of the HFE. They may be seeing more of my people from now on." He said.

"I can see where this is going. 86, make sure everyone gets the memo about this." Rachel ordered.

"Yes sir." She gave a salute then made it out the door.

"What I don't understand is why they call you sir when your a girl. Shouldn't it be ma'am?" Andrew asked. That question had been bugging him for awhile.

"It's just procedure. I'd rather not change something that's been here that long and as small as a name."

"I see your point."

"So the history about Humanity's First Echelon, I'd like to hear it from you." She said.

"Technically, I shouldn't give you our history, or any of the basic information I am giving you." Andrew replied.

"If that's the case, why did you give it? Why not keep it to yourself? You certainly have the power."

"Because I'm afraid that won't be possible to keep it for long. Not now, not ever again." He shook his head.

"What do you mean?" She didn't like where this was going.

He sighed, then gave her a stern look. "I'm not suppose to do this, but it's the only way. Now, after I tell you this, you need to cooperate with me, help me on big decisions. You're the only one I can actually trust. So will you help me?"

"Wha-"

"Please Rachel; trust me."

'Though I've only known him for a day, him calling me by my real name should be distress enough.' Rachel thought.

She nodded. "Alright."

He stood, making his way to her side of the desk before pressing a button on the bottom of the desk.

"I'm not even going to ask how you know that." Rachel gave him a look.

"I already knew it was there. When we were in here earlier, my armor scanned the entire room, and found all the measures for security or recording devices of any kind. Had five cameras on me right?" He added smugly. She just gave a grunt.

"Ok, I'll go basics. The organization started in the year 1946, four years before the Northern Blitz. We found that the the Teenz and Adults were planing on pushing the KND off of the planet and beyond. They had had enough of the KND meddling with their plans, and were going to go all out to get rid of you. One boy, Numbuh Alpha One, decided that there needed to be an organization that needed to protect the KND from both the Teenz and Adults. That was Humanity's First Echelon."

"Why not KND First Echelon?"

"Because we were also protecting the planet. They want to take the entire planet, and make anyone left on the planet a slave. They want the world, and after they have it, they'd go after more systems." He said darkly.

"More systems?"

"Star systems." He pointed at her. "Believe or not, whether your religious or atheist, there is sentient life out there in the cosmos, and a lot of it. They take the planet, they'll want to expand, and that could spell disaster for earth. What if we run into a spacefaring civilization that's much more advance than us and humans attack them? Goodbye earth and humanity. Or just more slaves for earth and her empire if they conquer other races. It's going to end badly one way or another. We were created to keep them on earth."

"I almost don't want to ask. They will use lethal force if necessary?" She asked timidly.

"They'll use it almost every time. That's why our weapons can maim or kill. They won't hold back, so we won't hold back. Listening to me tell you the specs of my ships should have hinted towards that. We separated from the KND so that other kids wouldn't suffer like we would." He rubbed his eyes. "Like I already have. War changes you, regardless of race, gender, state of mind, history, it affects everyone in a way. For me...well, that's another story for another time.

"You want to know what I was doing that I found myself flouting helplessly in space? Well, I was doing some recon duty, and just so happen to find a major base of operations for the Teenz and Adults. For simplicity, let's just call them faction T/A. I found a major base, one that had a good majority of its navel forces ready for a transit to somewhere. I infiltrated the base, hacked their computer, and began gathering data. It took a few hours before I could actually get past the firewalls. Half way through the download, I was cutoff from the system, and the base went on full alert. I had to fight my way out of the base, nearly tearing it apart in the process, but while trying to avoid fighters in my ship, one got luck and got a hit. My wings were blown off, and the ship went into warp for a few seconds before setting me back into real time. I was out cold because the explosion threw my head into the control panel, and you know the story from there."

"Ok. So what did you find?"

"I found data on the construction of their military. They were fooling us all along. They were building in the dark while they placed well fabricated bases out in the open for us to find and destroy. They were keeping us busy while they worked overdrive to build their forces." He slammed his fist on the desk. "They were playing us! And I didn't see it coming! How damn blind do you have to be when you can't see the obvious?! Goddamnit!"

Rachel watched as he tried to cover up his anger, eyes now red. "They'll be ready. I don't know when, but I know it will be within the year. And that's why I need your help."

"What would you have me do?" She asked with no hesitation.

"When T/A start, they'll come after all of us. We need to be ready for them, or as ready as we can be. I need to talk with the Council, they help make decisions that affect the HFE as a whole. I need their approval to allow us to outfit the KND with our tech and training. We need to prepare you for this war, because it's not a matter of 'if', it's a matter of 'when'." He pointed at her. "You're the only one that can help me on this side. So I need your approval."

"And you have it." She said, her features determined. "I'm not just going to sit here while all of this happens. You say they'll go after everyone and take everything they can, and we can't let that happen."

He shook his head. "Your members will have to learn quickly. Because they're going to learn a lot about life the hard way."

"All we can do is prepare them for it." Rachel finished.

Andrew nodded. "Thank you Rachel. Now if we could get a ship, we need to get to the HFE Capital."

"I'll get Sector V to help us. They're some of the best we have. Want to make some sort of statement." Rachel began typing on her computer.

"I'll meet you in the hanger." She nodded; and he strode his way though the door.

"Where are you going?" Fanny's head swiveled to glance at him.

"Rachel needs you. It's something important." He didn't bother looking at her.

'_Damn it. I'm such a short sighted idiot_.' He groaned, mentally cursing himself. '_I'm so goddamn blind. How did I not see the signs? I'm surprised everyone else missed them. Aw, damn it._' He sighed.

He began tapping in his armored wrist, and a few seconds later, a hologram of Admiral Hayes projected itself in the air, startling some kids who were fixing ships nearby.

"Andrew? What do-" Alto began.

"I need you to gather the Council. I trust they received the data?" Andrew asked expectantly.

"Yes, and they were livid. We only have a year to prepare. But why do you need the Council?"

"I have a proposition for them. It would help us deal with this rising threat. I have been granted permission from the KND Supreme Commander Numbuh 362, that starting today we have become allies. She knows everything, and I need the Council to vote on letting them incorporate out tech and training to the KND."

...

"You still there?" Andrew waved a hand, getting the holo Hayes's attention back.

"I'm not sure the Council will approve of that Andrew." Hayes said.

"They're not thinking straight. They just revived information that tells us that we've been attacking fake bases so they could build in their real ones. They're panicking, but they will listen to reason." Andrew clenched his fist. If they weren't going to listen to him, he'd force them, regardless if it was against HFE law.

"I'll set the meeting. You better get here quick Andrew." Hayes's holo shivered, then faded away.

"Sector V is five minutes away. They were dealing with Sticky Beard nearby." Rachel's voice caused Andrew to turn quickly, startling himself, Rachel, and Fanny, who was next to her.

"For Christ sakes boy! Calm down! We're not trying to kill you! Stop being stupid!" Fanny shouted, getting in Andrew's face.

"Back off women! Give me some air, your hogging all of it!" He made a face afterwards.

"How dare you speak to me like that you stupid boy!"

"A male sexist huh?! I said back off! Get out of my face! Have you heard of personal space, or did your mother raise you with the manners of a pig?!"

"I should kill you for saying that!" Both Fanny's and Andrew's noses were touching.

"You just said you weren't trying to kill me! Now back away! I need air!"

Bang!

"Ow! Goddamn you have an arm! Get away from me! You'll break my damn head!"

"SHUT UP! THE BOTH OF YOU!" Rachel screamed at the top of her lungs, Fanny and Andrew glancing at her with wide eyes. Anyone in the hanger had stopped doing their work and were now staring at the three.

Andrew turned to the kids, face livid. "Get back to work you ungrateful little maggots!"

All children immediately went back to work, the closest to Andrew shuddering and giving small cries.

He turned to Rachel, sticking his finger in his ear and twisting it about. "You got a good pair of lungs of you. Wish some of my Captains had a commanding voice like yours."

She couldn't help but let a light pink dust her cheeks. It was a strange complement, but a complement none the less.

She shook her head. "Why are you so strange?"

"Because you wouldn't love me if I wasn't."

Bam!

Bang!

"Ow! Hey! I'm outnumbered here! And I can't fight back! No fair damn it!" He said to a smirking Rachel and a seething Fanny.

* * *

"What was this ship called? A camper or something?"

"SCAMPER-SOOPREME is the proper name for it. I'll not go into the arcanum."

"That's an arcanum? That's a very long one."

Andrew was onboard this strange flying contraption; a camper with rockets on it. one of the few that was rather normal to them compared to a flying machine called the MOSQUITTOH, which somehow ran on frozen yogurt. Frozen yogurt? How the hell it ran on that was anyone clue. Besides seeing Numbuh 1 again, he also met Numbuhs 2-5.

When getting to know Numbuh 1, he found out that he is quick to jump into action and was quite resourceful, but tends to be paranoid, very paranoid. From Rachel, he was rather reckless and stubborn. Though he had shortcomings, (who doesn't?) he is one of the best KND operatives in the organization, possibly better then Andrew, or by his Numbuh, 2395, though from what Nigel had said, 2395 was much better then he was, since his did partake in the Northern Blitz and live. On par with Numbuh Zero? That was debatable. 2395 fought in two legitimate wars, but Zero started another Age of the KND.

Andrew had to go with Numbuh Zero.

Numbuh 2, or Hoagie P. Gilligan, was the 2x4 Technology Officer of Sector V. The boy had a love for technology and flying, as said by Numbuh 1 when he told the story about Numbuh 2 dogfighting a boy only known as 'Ace'. He made many jokes and cracked puns that only he finds funny, as Andrew had seen first hand when he met the guy. Hoagie had said something about getting shot down that made Numbuh 5 literally slam a fist on the top of his head. He was very egger to learn of the tech the HFE had up its arsenal.

Kuki Sanban a.k.a. Numbuh 3, was a happy-go-lucky, 10-year-old Japanese girl who was in charge of Diversionary Tactics and is the Medical Specialist of Sector V. She had a very short attention span, but long on charm. She was girly, optimistic, bubbly, dizzy-headed, clueless, kind, caring, patient, gentle, and arguably smarter than Numbuh 4, one who everyone knew she had the hots for and vice-versa. Hell, he could see the chemistry just by a glance, and he'd only seen them once. Kuki was overall very excited to meet him, asking him every question she could think of. She reminded him of his sister, who was almost like her in every way, shape or form. Numbuh 4 had advice not to insult anything having to do with Rainbow Monkeys, that she had a demonic side to her when she was angry.

Wallabee "Wally" Beetles a.k.a. Numbuh 4, as said by his teammates, is the team's bravest, toughest, strongest, fiercest, wildest, most adventurous, dangerous, courageous, and possibly the best fighter in Sector V. He is also the most impulsive, brash, hot-headed, arrogant, ignorant, and harshest of the team. When asked how good he was in hand-to-hand combat, Numbuh 4 had assumed it was a challenge, and they ended up wrestling around the bridge, with Andrew wining, though Numbuh 4 said that the size comparison might have been a very helpful thing. No one knows.

Abigail "Abby" Lincoln a.k.a. Numbuh 5 is the laid-back, responsible, and streetwise agent of Sector V, who apparently was Sector V leader before Numbuh 1, and was now his second in command and espionage officer. She even spoke in third person, saying "Numbuh 5" instead of "I". She was one of the smartest kids in her Sector and one of the smartest in her school. She would also act as an sister figure for her team if they had personal problems. She had a sister, Cree Lincoln, who worked for the Teenz, though Andrew was curious to if she knew about the military build up.

"Are we there yet?" Wally asked.

"Not yet." Andrew replied. Wally groaned.

"How long have we been in this ship?" Kuki asked.

"Five hours. You don't want to know how long it'll take to get there."

"You live far away Andrew." Kuki replied, content with holding her blue Rainbow Monkey.

"Where do you pull that thing out of? I mean, you don't even have pockets, yet you somehow get that thing here." He asked raising an eyebrow.

"That's a girls secret." She simply replied. Andrew glanced at Abby.

"Numbuh 5 don't got all the answers." She shrug, taking her red cap off and dusting it of before placing it back in her head.

"It would have been faster if this ship had warp technology. It would have shorten this trip by a day or two."

"Then why didn't we just wait for one of your ships to pick us up?" Wally stated.

"They're busy with patrols. They couldn't be bothered."

The ship began to shake, first a small shake, like everyone was tapping the ship, before it became an earthquake of 10.0. Andrew glanced out the window, and could see a white light beginning to brighten.

"Numbuh 2, evasive!"

"Hold on!" He pulled the ship into a steep dive, causing almost everyone to fall to the ground. Andrew was still standing, his legs spread, his arms open.

"The hell's going on?!" Wally shouted.

"We're being shot at! Where the heck did they come from?! Ahgh! I'm going to try and loose them!" He shouted, making another violent turn, white streaks of heated metal flying past, nearly hitting the ship.

"We got missiles!"

The SCAMPER began diving again, turning tightly. Andrew could see the red outline of the missiles quickly closing the gap. They were flying erratically, as if their guidance systems weren't working.

"2, fly at the missiles."

"What?!" Abby shouted. "You crazy!"

"Fly at the missiles?! Do you want us to get killed?!" Hoagie replied.

"Just do it!"

"Ah man!" He turned, now engine on after burner, blazing towards the two missiles.

"Hoagie, when I say so, fire all weapons on the missiles, got it?"

"Crystal sir." His voice was wavering now.

"You're going to kill us you stupid boy!" Fanny ranted. Rachel was too busy clinging to Nigel's chair for dear life to say anything, with Fanny holding her, and the rest in their seats, while Andrew stood his ground.

'Just a bit closer... Come on, come on!'

The missiles exploded, and from those two missiles, twenty now replaced them.

362 and 86.

"Ahhh!"

5

"We gonna die!"

4

"Christ!"

3

"Wahh!"

2

"Holy!"

1

"Whoa!"

2395

"FIRE!"

Whatever weapons the SCAMPER had was fired at that moment, Hoagie barrel rolling as they fired. The missiles, now with multiple radar signatures, began going for the ones covering the largest signature, and the space around the SCAMPER lit up in fire and metal, with Sector V, the Supreme Commander, and Decommissioning Officer screaming as they flew through the fire.

And a second later, the missiles were gone.

Everyone except for Hoagie were sprawled on the floor, many looking rather green. They were in a wide pile, with Andrew on the bottom, Nigel's head next to his, Wally's foot on his face, Abby perpendicular on his chest face down, Fanny on top of Nigel, Kuki on top of Wally, and Rachel face on Andrew's stomach, the rest of her body between his legs.

"Why the hell is everyone on me?" Andrew asked, swatting Wally's foot out of his face.

"Not everyone is on top of you. Oh my head." Rachel said, rubbing it.

"Um, guys? We still have those fighters on us." Hoagie said.

"Why haven't they tried to contact us?"

"Well, about that-"

"The damn radio is broken, isn't it?" Andrew said with a glare. "Hold on." He tapped his wrist.

"I repeat, reverse your course out of HFE space before we fire once more!" A voice said on the radio. Andrew made a quick connection.

"HFE ships, stand down! This is Commander Ruiz, you're shooting at my ship!"

"C-commander?!" The fighters flew past the SCAMPER. "We thought you were back at High Capital?"

"I had some important business to attend to. What squadron you from, pilot?"

"123 Fighter Wing, Division 2, 2nd Lt. Gardner.

"123 Fighter Wing, Division 1, Captain Aiyala."

"Considering you're far from any HFE base, I take it you have a ship nearby? We'd like a ride."

"ESS _Transcendence_ is in the area, we'll escort you to her." Aiyala replied.

"Lead the way Captain."

"Yes sir."

"Ok, everyone, off!" He lifted his upper body, throwing Abby off in the process.

"Ow!"

"Sorry about that." He glanced at Rachel, her head still on his stomach.

He smirked. "Princess, if you wanted to cuddle, all you had to do was ask."

Rachel glanced at their position, then quickly pulled herself up, scowling at the boy.

"Idiot."

"I'm flattered." He stood himself, and turned to Hoagie. "Nice flying man. I would have loved someone with your skill back in the Blitz." He gave a thumbs up.

Hoagie sat straighter in his seat, proud that Numbuh 2395 had complemented him on his flying skills.

"Gardner, what's our ETA?"

"Two minutes sir."

"Good. I want that ship ready for our arrival."

"Already done sir."

"Well, consider yourselves lucky." He glanced at Sector V, Rachel, and Fanny. "You'll be boarding the Flagship of the HFE fleet. ESS _Transcendence_, _Ruiz-Class_ battleship, my personal ship." He said, glancing at the small speck that was his ship growing slowly.

"How big did you say it was again?" Hoagie asked.

"6.5 kilometers. The largest ship in our fleet. The only thing bigger then a _Ruiz-Class_ is High Capital and a few other stations. That's the main base of the HFE. Compare it to your Moonbase."

"But Moonbase doesn't fly." Fanny stated.

"Oh, really? I haven't noticed." He said sarcastically. Fanny crossed her arms, muttering an insult.

"ESS _Transcendence_, this is Delta flight. We've encountered Commander Ruiz and he has requested transportation to _High Capital_."

"Delta this is _Transcendence_, we copy. Hanger 9 is open, good to have you back sir."

"Glad to be back _Transcendence_."

They followed the black fighters, who's design mimicked that of the fighter Andrew was in. They flew alongside the ship, four frigates and four destroyers around the battleship. They made their way to one if the larger hanger bays, one that would hold a destroyer, before landing on a small platform built for fighters.

"Straighten yourselves up, you guys look like a mess." Andrew said, glancing at the KND operatives, their disheveled cloths and hair emphasizing his point.

When the ship door opened, they were greeted by twenty soldiers, ten on each side of the path, helmets shielding their identities, and at parade rest. They immediately snapped to attention upon the sight of Andrew. In the the center was Alto, his hands behind his back, a smile plastered on his face. Andrew walked past the soldiers, as did everyone else, and made his way to Alto. When within arms reach, both boys embraced.

"God it's been so long." Andrew said.

"Sixty three years. It's good to see you to Andrew." Alto padded Andrew's back. The embrace ended, and Andrew turned to the KND operatives.

"Alto, this is Numbuh 362, Supreme Commander of the KND. The red head is Numbuh 86, Decommissioning Officer, and the rest is KND Sector V, Numbuh 1 through 5." He pointed in number order.

"Nice to meet all of you. I am Admiral Alto Hayes, Commander of the Second Fleet." Alto stated, giving a small bow. "I understand that you are traveling to High Capital?"

"Yes sir." Rachel said. This man was a higher rank then she was. He commanded a fleet, a legitimate fleet.

"Well, I was heading to High Capital myself. We would love to take you there. From what I understand, you've been flying for awhile. If that be the case, we have rooms for you if you would like to rest."

"Actually, something to eat would be nice." Kuki stated.

"We have a mess hall. It's small, but the food is good. I'll have one of my operatives take you. Sargent Lincoln! Report!"

One soldier, a women if the body shape was anything to go by, broke formation, briskly marching and stopping two paces in front of Alto. She saluted.

"Sir, Master Sargent Cree Lincoln reporting as ordered." She said in a steady tone.

"Cree?!" All KND members shouted.

"I...take it you know Sargent Lincoln?" Alto asked.

"Numbuh 5 there." Andrew pointed. "Is Cree's younger sister."

"Oh... Oh! Now I remember. I only read vaguely over many dossiers, remember Lincoln had something mentioning a sister. Well isn't that a surprise?"

"Cree?! You work for them?!"

"Yes." Cree stated, still looking straight at Alto.

Alto continued. "Sargent Lincoln, please show our guests to the mess hall and then their rooms. Numbuh 5, if you'd like some answers, she'll give them to you. If any of you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Andrew and I will be on the bridge." He patted Andrew's shoulder and motioned with his head. Andrew nodded before turning to Rachel. "You should come with princess, we need to discuss a strategy."

"Right." She began walking with them. "86, stay with everyone else." The red head gave a curt nod.

"Princess? That's your name for her?"

"It's a pet peeve of mine. It works when you say it enough." He glanced behind him. "Princess? How are you doing princess?"

If looks could kill, Andrew would have been a bloody corpus torn in five pieces, with the surrounding ship destroyed. She refused to retort, but did give a small growl.

Andrew gave Alto a pleasant look. "See." Alto shook his head.

"You're cruel."

* * *

"Here's the mess hall. The food's not a five star quality, but it meets out needs. They're serving tacos tonight. If you're hungry, go grab a bite." Cree said, using her thumb to point. Most of the operatives made their way to the mess, but Abby stayed behind, watching Cree intently.

"I've got some explaining to do." Cree said.

"Yes, you do."

"Did they tell you why they're going to High Capital?"

"No."

"Well, you might as well find out from me." She turned to face Abby.

"I was undercover."

"Hmph. You could have fooled me." Abby spat.

"There is a reason I did all of those things. I worked with the HFE. They needed someone who was really high in the Teenz chain of command. I'm nearly at the top of that chain. I had to play the part, and that meant attacking you and the KND. I'm sorry if I'm trying to prevent a war." Cree said in as much venom.

"Prevent a war? Girl, what are you talkin about?"

"It's like you said, they haven't told you anything about the true reason they're here. They told you they wanted to make an alliance. That's true, only they neglected to tell you the part where the Teenz and Adults decide to destroy the KND, and I mean destroy it. They've built a legitimate military, and they want us gone, or dead."

Abby stuttered. "W-what?!"

"They want us dead. Simple as that. I've been working with the HFE before I even left the KND. They needed me to infiltrate the Teenz, which I've done quite well. All those attacks, all that acting at home, was to get into the high places that the Teenz have."

Abby was silent for awhile, taking in the info. So all of the fighting, all of the mistrust, all of it, was fake? How long had she done this for? Years. What did that get her? Information, a bit at the cost of a healthy relationship with Abby.

"Are there any others that do the same as you?"

"Many. Even Chad is one of them." That made Abby's head spin. Now so many things were blowing out of proportion.

"You're dropping a bomb shell on Abby here. This is hard to believe."

"It doesn't matter if you believe or not. I had a job to do. I only did it to try to protect my loved ones, and even if I don't show it, I care deeply for you Abby." Cree's tone was soft, her gaze matching Abby's.

Abby was at a loss for words.

"Numbuh 5! Aren't you hungry?" Hoagie shouted, swallowing his tenth taco.

"I'll be right there Numbuh 2!" She glanced back at Cree. "We need to fix this. As best we can."

Cree knew what she was talking about. She shook her head. "Yeah, we do. Now go eat Abby." She motioned to the table. Abby simply nodded and began walking to the table.

"Numbuh 5 don't know what to believe. But she willing to try this." She said with small smile.

* * *

**12 hours later...**

"You got it?" Andrew said, eyeballing the data pad in his hand.

"I've got it. If you can't convince them, I'm the only one who can." Rachel said, her hand slightly lifted and squeezed into a fist. They'd just gone over how they were going to present their case to the Council to allow the KND to incorporate new technology and training regiments. The Council had to listen. They just had to.

Helm spoke up. "Exiting warp in 3...2...1... Entering real space."

ESS _Transcendence_ and her escort of eight ships blew forward out of the white portals, the portals closing quickly behind them. And they where greeted with a sight to behold.

A station was in their view, shaped like a spear. The station's hight alone was ten kilometers, while the the length was fifty kilometers, a five kilometer width to join with it. The station was a black color, nearly blending in with the surrounding space. Over a hundred ships flouted by, protecting it from any attackers. The station itself was a city.

"My god." Rachel blurted out.

"Damn." Andrew said in awe. "This is the first time I've seen _High Capital_. Could see why they'd call it Capital. Fifty kilometers long, Christ alive." He shook his head.

"Pride of the HFE." Alto. "Comm, we need to land."

The comm nodded. "Capital Control, this is ESS _Transcendence_ with scout fleet Omega. We have Commander Ruiz onboard. Requesting permission to land."

"ESS _Transcendence_, permission is granted. Hanger bay 2 is open, but watch your flying. We have two other _Ruiz-Class_ ships in that dock. Out."

"Got it. ESS _Transcendence_ out."

"The Council will meet with you tomorrow. It's rather late, so when we board, we'll take you to headqurters, and they'll give you rooms for you and your guests." Alto stated.

Andrew was still transfixed on the massive station. He did a side glance at Rachel, who's mouth was agape, eyes starring at the station.

"Close you mouth princess. Your face might stay like that, and we don't need it getting uglier."

"Oh shut up." She moved to give his arm a small punch, but stopped short when she remembered the armor he wore.

Andrew gave her a smirk, his face literally saying '_I win_.'


End file.
